6:00am Monday 15th March 2010
SHE survived in the womb against the odds while her mother had treatment for cancer.
Doctors had urged her mother to have an abortion, doubtful the child would survive.
But survive she did — and yesterday, Jasmine Curtis-Walker celebrated her fifth birthday.
Jasmine was one of only 20 known babies in the world to be born to a woman undergoing chemotherapy when she arrived on March 14, 2005.
She has suffered no ill-effects and is leading a normal life, attending Beech House, the infants school at Bolton School.
But her mum, Sally-Anne Walker, is now battling breast cancer for the second time after it spread to other parts of her body.
The brave 44-year-old is also supporting a charity appeal to raise £5 million for research into the condition, in a bid to find new treatments for herself and others.
Miss Walker, who lives in Edgworth with her partner, Steve Curtis, and their eldest daughter, Jessica-Rose, aged seven, said: “Jasmine is absolutely fine and it is remarkable. She is perfect — she is a normal little girl.
“I am very proud of her and am delighted we took the decision to go ahead. I cannot imagine her not being here.”
Jasmine, who spent the weekend celebrating with family and friends, said: “I am a chemo baby and I love my mummy.”
The couple were advised to have an abortion when Miss Walker was told she had breast cancer early into her pregnancy in 2004.
The businesswoman and her company director partner were heartbroken but after research on the internet, decided to go ahead and have the baby.
Miss Walker had surgery, chemotherapy and was struck down by a serious infection but mother and baby survived the ordeal.
But after more than 18 months in the clear, Miss Walker was told the cancer had spread at the end of 2006.
She has had several courses of chemotherapy and drug treatments and is undergoing chemotherapy at the moment.
Miss Walker, who runs First Call Healthcare, which provides care for the elderly in their own homes, is backing Breakthrough Breast Cancer’s £5 million appeal for its research unit at University of Manchester.
She said: “It was devastating but I am absolutely determined to keep going. I live for my girls and cannot bear to think of them without a mother.
“It is so important for research to continue to find new and better treatments, so people need to support the appeal.”
Visit breakthrough.org.uk/ manchester or contact 0845 263 7312 for details.
cherry.thomas@ theboltonnews.co.uk
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